[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
.They ve beenblaming the bombs for upsetting the ecology, whatever that is, and affectingthe migratory habits.But a few of them are saying that the data it isn tsufficient to be absolutely sure that it is the bombs that have done it, butsomething certainly has, and it may have serious effects on food supplies.Andso, as nobody seems to be quite clear what the bombs were expected to do, andall they do is to kill and bewildered lots of fish at great expense, they dobecome unpopular just now. And, here s something else.Two of those bombs they ve sent down haven t goneoff. Oh, I said,  and what do we infer from that? I don t know.But it has them worried, very worried.You see, the way theyare set to operate is by the pressure at a given depth; simple and prettyaccurate. Meaning that they never reached the right pressure zone? Must have got hungup somewhere on the way down?Phyllis nodded. It s made them extremely anxious. Understandably, too.I d not feel too happy myself if I mislaid a couple oflive atom bombs, I admitted. What else? Three cable-and repair ships have unaccountably disappeared.One of them wascut off in the middle of a radio message.She was known to be grappling for adefective cable at the time. When was this? One about six months ago, one about three weeks ago, and one last week. They might not have anything to do with it. They might not - but everyone s pretty sure they have. No survivors to tell what happened? None.Presently I asked: Anything more? Let me see.Oh, yes.They re developing some kind of guided depth missilewhich will be high-explosive, not atomic.But it hasn t been tested yet.I turned to look at her admiringly. That s the stuff, darling.The real MataHari touch.Phyllis ignored that one. The most important thing is that he is going to give me an introduction toDr.Matet, the oceanographer.I sat up. But, darling, the Oceanographical Society has more or lessPage 25ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlthreatened to excommunicate anybody who deals with us after that last script -it s part of their anti-Bocker line. Well, Dr, Matet happens to be a friend of the Captain s.He s seen hisfireball-incidence maps, and he s a half-convert.Anyway, were not convincedBockerites, are we? What we think we are isn t necessarily what other people think we are.Still,if he s willing - when can we see him? hope to see him in a few days time, darling.I Don t you think I should -  No.But it s sweet of you not to trust me still. But -  No.And now it s time we went to sleep, she said, firmly.****The beginning of Phyllis s interview was, she reported, almost standard:.B.C.? said Dr.Matet, raising eyebrows like miniature doormats. I thoughtECaptain Winters said.B.C.BHe was a man with a large frame sparingly covered, which gave his head theappearance of properly belonging to a still larger frame.His tanned foreheadwas high, and well polished back to the crown.He gave one, Phyllis said, afeeling of being overhung.She sighed inwardly, and started on the routine justification of the EnglishBroadcasting Company s existence, and worked him round gradually until he hadreached the position of considering us nice-enough people striving manfully toovercome the disadvantages of being considered a slightly second-class oracle.Then, after making it quite clear that any material he might supply wasstrictly anonymous in origin, he opened up a bit.The trouble from Phyllis s point of view was that he did it on a prettyacademic level, full of strange words and instances which she had to interpretas best she could.The gist of what he had to tell her, however, seemed to bethis:A year ago there had begun to be reports of discolorations in certain oceancurrents.The first observation of the kind had been made in the Kuroshio Current in theNorthPacific - an unusual muddiness flowing northeast, becoming less discernible asit gradually widened out along the West Wind Drift until it was no longerperceptible to the naked eye. Samples were taken and sent for examination, of course, and what do you thinkthe discoloration turned out to be? said Dr.Matet.Phyllis looked properly expectant.He told her: Mainly radiolarian ooze, but with an appreciable percentage of diatomaceousooze. How very remarkable! Phyllis said, safely. Now what on earth could producea result like that? Ah, said Dr.Matet,  that is the question [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]